Chapter 278

"Has the Gods' War begun?"

Star felt her head go blank for an instant; the next second, she appeared in a world that had been swept over by an insect swarm, a scene of utter devastation.

The soles of her boots conveyed an unpleasant sticky sensation—not soil, but some semi-digested organic sediment, like the secretions of the insect swarm that had been chewed, swallowed, and then expelled, exuding a nauseating stench of decay.

Star hurriedly asked Black Tower where she currently was, but Black Tower at this moment did not not have her.

She waited in place—until a hint of laughter appeared.

The first golden spark brushed past her ear, carrying a mischievous, successful chuckle. Then came the second, the third—they surged out like shaken champagne bubbles, bursting in the air into countless gleeful points of light. One point grazed her cheek, and she truly felt a stirring within, as if someone were directly writing a joke on her nerve endings with a feather pen.

"Ajiweili!" Aha appeared just like that, "My Ajiweili! Are the dice I gave you fun? I want to ask: how many sides do my dice have?"

"But your dice are a sphere." Star hadn't expected talking to a star god to be this easy—this was her first time in the simulated universe.

"Correct answer! I want to use the sphere to knock Tayiziyulusi unconscious!" Spark-like merry dance flickered beside Star, Aha laughed and clapped, his beach ball and playing cards embracing each other, "Everything I do is for the One! Aha is always happy to help, helping other gods is my pleasure—"

Then He turned His gaze toward Star.

"Won't you join in? Fake Ajiweili? Not accepting my idea? Concerning the Astral Express and Tayiziyulusi." His gaze bore a chilling smile.

Star instantly felt her hairs stand on end. But fortunately Aha vanished quickly, and the world beneath her feet disappeared with him, leaving only darkness before her eyes.

"You've been dragged in, I'll take protective measures." Black Tower's voice.

Star exhaled a deep breath of relief, and the blood that had just frozen began to melt again.

"In short, the Abundance path threatens the Exploration path; in this war of the gods, the Ajiweili of Exploration may take part."

——

Crimson Red Eyes

"Aha just... did he see Star?" Main felt her breath catch.

She suddenly recalled Sanbo's glance back on Yailo-VI—that guy who should have been a profiteer seemed to break the firmament and speak to them all. Now, looking back, every moment feels chilling.

"Hey… you guys, is the truth like this?" Leonie swallowed her saliva, speaking somewhat dryly: "This so-called firmament is merely a manifestation of Aha's power? We can see the outside world through the firmament, and other worlds can likewise see us through their firmament..."

"Our reaction... is just the amusement of Merriment Aha."

The moment those words left her mouth, Leonie saw Tazmi, Main, and others' faces instantly turn as pale as paper.

Lebrek's voice trembled slightly: "You mean... we're like goldfish in a fish tank, thinking we can observe the outside world through the transparent glass, but actually we're merely the playthings of the room's owner?"

Leonie slowly nodded.

"That possibility certainly cannot be excluded." Najeta slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, her tone solemn: "But, Leonie... ask yourself honestly, this firmament has also not brought us any harm. Perhaps the Star God Aha amuses Himself with us, but that in no way affects our staging a rebellion 'raising the banner of revolt against the Empire' as a theatrical act."

"If what you say is true, our world is but a speck in the cosmic galaxy; that also means everyone here has the chance to embark on different paths and wield powers more miraculous than the Emperor's tools."

"When our revolution one day achieves total victory and we overthrow the empire, we will also unify our faith, like that lone city of Beloberg in the ice and snow, believing in a single star god. Perhaps then we might even catch a glance of the divine gaze."

Najeta's words were like a morning ray of light scattering mist, causing the few who had just been listless to lift their heads one after another.

"But we also need to understand the cosmos's history, to determine which star god is truly worth following." Najeta lifted her gaze to the firmament: "Therefore this Gods' War is crucial for our future choices."

——

Naruto

"Oh oh!!! This Star God Aha also intends to help Preservation and Order, and give Abundance a good beating?!"

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly; it was clear this kind of mass battle spectacle could easily capture his attention.

"Naruto, 'Aha's reputation' is hardly a good word in the universe; He gave those Masked Fools a revelation, perhaps just letting them flee early. In this Star God war, what He does is likely no different from what the Fools do."

Shikamaru sighed helplessly: "The difference is, one faction deludes different star gods, while the other directly deludes the star god itself."

Based on his observation of the Masked Fools, this bunch tends to adopt a "chaotic neutral" stance in disputes—they won't try to extinguish the flames of conflict, but will do everything to make that fire burn ever larger, preferably setting the whole cosmos ablaze.

And they dance in the flames—even if the fire burns them, they each die laughing.

... A bunch of lunatics beyond comprehension.

However, through this exchange between Star and Him, he unexpectedly felt that Merriment and Exploration are both the sort of deities who can communicate and are talkative—although the former regards humanity, even the cosmos, as a mere amusement, at least they fall within the realm of communication.

Gluttony and Abundance, on the other hand, act purely on instinct; he cannot even judge whether these two Star Gods possess wisdom.

"Looking at the results, at least Aha counts as adding a great general to the Preservation side." Naruto said.

"What Aha wants has never been the ending, but the dramatic process."

Shikamaru stared intently at the firmament, recalling the Masked Fools' said "Revelation," and ultimately concluded: "In my view, Aha will likely not only pull Exploration into the fray, but will also draw ever more star gods into this divine war, wanting to set this flame ablaze across the whole cosmos."